Adjustable buckle holder



NOV. 7, 1950 p, JANES ETAL 2,529,452

ADJUSTABLE BUCKLE HOLDER Filed Oct. 11, 194'? INVENTORS EdmundD. Jagles. Michael J. Carpmella.

BY 2W ATTORN EY Patented Nov. 7, 1 950 ADJUSTABLE BUCKLE HOLDER Edmund D. Janes and Michael J. Carpinella,

Waterbury, Conn, assignors to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Viaterbury, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Application October 11, 1947, Serial No. 779,250

9 Claims.

This invention relates to a device for holding a slide loop buckle during the time that the operator is manually looping or threading a garment strap through the slots or openings provided in such buckle.

Heretofore, the practice in assembling garment straps to a slide loop buckle has been for the operator to manually hold the buckle with one hand while threading or looping the garment strap through the various openings of the buckle with the other hand, and the nature of the threading of the strap was such that the hand holding the buckle also had to be employed in facilitating the strap threading operation.

It is one of the objects of this invention to make a simple device or holder into which a buckle can be easily received and held during the time that the strap is being threaded through the buckle openings and permit the operator to make use of both hands in this threading operation.

This invention is an improvement upon the William R. Spearrin application relating to a buckle holder, Serial No. 763,845, filed July 26, 1947, resulting in Patent No. 2,508,340, dated May 16, 1950.

One of the improvements of this particular buckle holder over that disclosed in the Spearrin application is that the device is made adjustable so as to accommodate various sizes of buckles.

Another improvement in this device is that one of the buckle-holding arms or jaws is so mounted as to be resiliently urged toward the opposite holding jaw under tension, so that when a buckle is assembled in held position between the jaws, the device grips onto the buckle with a tensional effect as a means to prevent the buckle from jumping out from the jaw slots within which it is received during the time the operator is threading the strap upon the buckle.

This invention will be better understood from the detailed description. which follows, when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing showing the preferred embodiment of invention, and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the device showing one embodiment of the invention as it appears attached to a table support, and showing a buckle ready to be received therein.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the buckle holder, per se.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation.

5 is a rear elevation with portions of the supporting arms or jaws broken away and showing a buckle engaged therebetween.

Fig. 6 is an view of the buckle partly in section showing the preliminary threading operation of the strap, and

Fig. 7 is a similar view showing the strap in a completely assembled position.

Referring now to the drawing in. which like reference numerals denote correspondin parts throughout the several views, the numeral HJ designates generally a buckle holding device adapted to be supported on a'table top H as shown in Fig. 1.

The buckle holding device Iii comprises essentially a base l2 having attached to its rear face an l. shaped stationary member E3. The lower or horizontal leg 14 'of the member 53 is rigidly secured to the base l2 as by means of screws 65, and the vertical arm 16 which functions in the manner of a jaw extends upwardly free of said base 12.

In order to make this holding device adjustable to accommodate various sizes of buckles, an elongated adjusting block I? is provided that is adapted in part to rest on the upper surface of the base 82. The block I! has one enlarged end it that is obtained by thickening the stock rearwardly as best seen in Fig. 2, and said end [8 is adapted to be slidably fitted in a groove [9 cut in the front face of the vertical arm or jaw IS. The enlarged end i8 is provided with a pair of elongated openings 20 offset relative to each other and aligned with a similar set of elongated openings 24 provided in the vertical arm it; within the area of the groove !9. Bolts 22 extend through the openings 2!! and 2! and have the usual washers and nuts by means of which the adjusting block ll may be adjustably located and locked in various positions relative to the stationary vertical arm [6. The elongated openings 28 and 2| are offset in their respective members, so as to permit the bolts 22 to be positioned in an oifset manner. This offset position of the bolts 22 assures a better clamping eiTect between the adjusting block I? and member l3, and also facilitates the manipulation of the bolt nuts with a wrench for adjusting purposes.

To the opposite free end of the adjusting block ii remote from its point of attachment there is pivotally secured another L shaped member 23 opposed to the standard l3. Specifically the member 23 is provided with a relatively short lower arm 24 supported on a pivot bolt 25 made secure within the free end of the block Ill. The other or vertical arm 26 which likewise functions as a jaw extends upwardly in opposed relationship to the jaw l6 and the adjacent edges of these jaws ES and 25 have buckle-receiving grooves 27 and 28 milled therewithin extending part way clown the length thereof, and merge in the inner edges of said jaws as at 21a and 28a. The grooves 21 and 28 where they open into the upper ends of the jaws I6 and 26 are chamfered as at 29 and 30 as best shown in Fig. 1. These grooves 27 and 28 are substantially identical as those explained in the Spearrin application above referred to and function with like advantages.

In order to efiect a gripping tensioned action upon a buckle member B in its assembled position, provision is made for resiliently urging the upper vertical jaw 26 of the member 23 inwardly. For this purpose a coiled spring 3! is located at the rear of the device H having one end anchored as by a pin 32 projecting from the corner above the pivot bolt 25 of the short lower arm 24 while the opposite end of the spring 3| is made secured to another pin 33 extending from the rear face of the horizontal leg M of L-shaped member I3. When the L-shaped member 23 is not holding a buckle B in assembled position, the said member 23 under the influence of the spring 3|, will be rotated to a position wherein the lower edge 24a of its lower arm 24 is caused to abut against the upper edge 14a. of the horizontal leg M of standard l3 as a stop (see Fig. The member 23 is otherwise so constructed that the jaw 26 will be slightly biased inwardly, as best shown in Fig. 4, so that the base surfaces of the buckle-receiving grooves 21 and 28 will be slight- 1y less than the transverse width of the buckle B. By this construction it will be obvious that the upright jaws I6 and 26 virtually act as opposed clamps to grip against the opposite edge of the buckle B as a means to more rigidly hold and steady the buckle during the strap assembly operation as will later be more fully explained.

In setting up the device I ll to hold a buckle B of a specified size, the adjusting block I! can be properly adjusted relative to the member l3 by loosening the bolts 22 and setting the block I! to a predetermined position and again tightening up said bolts 22. The predetermined position of the block I 7 should be such that the base of the grooves 21 and 28 will be spaced apart a distance slightly less than the width of said buckle B so that when a buckle is forced down within the grooves 21 and 28 the member 23 will have to pivot about the pivot bolt 25 under the influence of spring 3|.

The buckle holding device I!) as a unit may be rigidly anchored to the table top H as b screws 35 fitted into chamfered holes 36 provided in the base I2 to assure a stable position and as a convenience to the operator.

The buckle B inasmuch as it belongs to the slide loop class is provided with a plurality of openings for threading a garment strap 38 therethrough. Typical of this general type of buckle, there is illustrated one having a relativel wide opening 39 disposed adjacent the lower edge of the buckle; and a pair of adjacent openings 40 and 4| of less width are disposed thereabove, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 5. The buckle B is formed with a projecting portion 42 which may be provided with an eye loop (not shown)" or any other suitable means for detachable engagement with a complemental securing element on the garment.

In Figs. 6 and '7 is shown the manner as to how the strap 38 may be assembled into the buckle B to constitute one form of slide loop. Specifically the leading end 43 of the strap 38 is first threaded through the lower opening 39 in the direction of arrow I. 'In the next operation the leading end of the strap is folded back and threaded through the uppermost opening 40 in the direction as indicated by arrow 2, and finally through the middle opening 41 in the direction of arrow 3.

When the strap is assembled in the manner substantially as shown in Fig. 6, the operator will then apply a reverse pull on the body of the strap 38 in the direction of arrow 4 as shown in Fig. 7, whereupon the leading end 43 of the strap 38 will be automatically pulled backwardly through the larger opening 39 and bind the strap to the buckle B as shown in Fig. 7.

As best noted in Figs. 1 and 4 the upper edge of the adjusting block I! is cut out as at 44 for a considerable length of its portion. This is to allow for ample clearance for the fingers of the operator in the threading operation of the strap 38 to the buckle B.

While I have herein described and upon the drawing shown an illustrative embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto but may comprehend other constructions, and arrangements without departing from the spirit of the invention and details of parts.

We claim:

1. A device of the class described comprising a base and an integral arm extending upwardly therefrom, an adjustable block supported upon the upper surface of said base and fixed to said arm and adjustable laterally relative thereto, means for securing one end of said block in predetermined position to said arm, and another arm secured to the opposite end of said block, said arms having means in their adjacent edges for detachably receiving a buckle member therebetween.

2. A device of the class described as defined by claim 1 wherein means is provided for moving one arm toward another under resilient tension.

3. A device of the class described comprising a base having means for attachment to a table top, a stationary jaw extending upwardly from one corner of said base, another jaw pivotally mounted to the opposite corner of said base on the same side as said first jaw, a spring means resiliently urging said second jaw about its pivot against a predetermined stop, said second jaw having an offset arm adapted to abut against the upper surface of said base in serving as said predetermined stop, and groove means in the adjacent edge of said jaws for slidably receiving a buckle member between the upper ends of said jaws, the normal distance between the bases of said groove means being slightly less than the width of said buckle.

4. A device of the class described comprising a base, a jaw extending upwardly from said base, an adjustable block, means for securing said block in adjusted position relative to said base, a second jaw pivotally secured to said block in opposed relation to said first jaw and in a common plane with said first jaw, the adjacent edges of said jaws having grooves provided therein designed to slidably receive a buckle from the upper ends of said jaws, and resilient means urging said second jaw about its pivot to a predetermined stop such that the distance between bases of said grooves is less than the width of buckle to be received therein.

5. A device of the class described comprising a base, an L-shaped member secured to one edge of said base and having an arm extending upwardly from said base, a movable block having one end adjustably secured to the front face of said arm, another L-shaped member secured to the opposite end of said block and having an arm extending upwardly in a common plane and in opposed relation to said first arm, and said arms having inwardly facin grooves extending part way from the top of said arms for slidably receiving a buckle in the upper ends of said arms.

6. A buckle holding device as defined by claim 5 having means for resiliently urging the arm of said second member toward said first member to a predetermined stop such that the distance between the adjacent edges of said arms will be slightly less than the width of said buckle.

7. A-buckle holding device as defined by claim 5 wherein said second member is pivotally mounted upon said block, and spring means urging said second member about its pivot to a predetermined stop such that the distance between tioned relative to the arm of said first member as the adjacent edges of said arms will be slightly 20 less than the width of said buckle.

8. A device of the class described comprising a base, an L-shaped member secured to one edge of said base and having an arm extending up wardly from said base, said arm having a trans- 25 to be slightly less than the width of a buckle to be received therebetween.

9. A buckle holder as defined by claim 8 wherein a relatively long cut-out is provided in the upper surface of said adjusting block as a means of providing extra room for the operators hands.

EDMUND D. JANES.

MICHAEL J. CARPINELLA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file-of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 550,844 Ring Dec. 3, 1895 2,091,175 Alfandre Aug. 24, 1937 2,091,176 Alfandre Aug, 24, 1937 

